Roller skate



Jan. 18, 1966 A. PAPANGELIS 3,229,989

ROLLER SKATE Filed Jan. 24, 1964 INVENTOR.

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United States Patent Ofi ice 3,229,989 Patented Jan. 18, 1966 3,229,989 ROLLER SKATE Anthony Papangelis, 494 Mowbray Road, Lane Cove, New South Wales, Australia Filed Jan. 24, 1964, Ser. No. 340,091 4 Claims.. (Cl. 28011.31)

This invention relates to a roller skate.

An object of the present invention is to provide a roller skate which lends itself to accommodation to shoes of different sizes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a roller skate which is capable of being fitted to and removed from shoes of varying sizes with ease and facility.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a roller skate which includes a fastening means which is simple in structure, highly efficient in action, and commercially feasible.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a roller skate equipped with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view, on a reduced scale, of the assembly of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the back end portion of the assembly of FIGURE 3 showing the flexible element and the adjustable presser plate carried thereby.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 3.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawing, a shoe of a wearer is fitted to and accommodated to a skate 12 according to the present invention.

The roller skate 12 comprises a shoe-supporting plate 14 which is shaped to accommodate a shoe of a wearer and has a sole portion 16 and a heeel portion 18. An upstanding backing member 20 which is conformably shaped to the back of a shoe is connected to the heel portion 18 for sliding movement toward and away from the sole portion 16. Specifically, the backing member 20 de pendingly carries a transversely-disposed bracket 22 which, FIGURE 3, embracingly and slidably engages the opposed side edge portions of the shoe-supporting plate 14 to thereby connect the backing member 20 to the plate 14 for sliding forward and backward movement. A toe stirrup 24 adapted to receive the fore-part of a shoe of a wearer rises from the sole portion 16 intermediate its ends. As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the fore-part of the shoe 10 is received within the stirrup 24 and rests upon the sole portion of the shoe-supporting plate 14 and the rear part of the shoe rests upon the heel portion 18.

Depending from and extending along the longitudinal center line of the shoe-supporting plate 14 are a pair of bars 30 disposed in face-to-face spaced relation. Mounted within the bars 30, FIGURE 1, are a plurality, three in number, of rotatable rubber tired wheels 32, one of the wheels being at the forward end of the bars 30, a second of the wheels being at the rearward end of the bars, and a third of the wheels being disposed at the central point of the bars 30. Each wheel, FIGURES 3 and 5, has an axle 34 which extends transversely through and is supported in the bars 30. An inner race ring 36 of a ball bearing is circumposed about and is welded or secured to the axle 34. Surrounding the inner race ring 36 and beating against the balls 38 supported in the inner race ring 36 is an ,outer race ring 40, the hub of the tired wheel 32 being welded to the outer race ring 40.

A'flexible element 42 is carried by the toe stirrup 24 and .is adapted to extend about the backing member 20 when the element 42 is extended about the backing member 20 and the shoe 10 of a wearer is positioned upon the shoe-supporting plate 14, as shown in FIGURES l and 2. Specifically, the flexible element 42 embodies an elongated strap 43 which has its ends secured at opposed points 44 and 45 on the stirrup 24 with its intermediate portion adapted to extend about the backing member 20.

Means is provided which releasably secures the flexible element 42 to the backing member 20 when the element 42 is extended about the backing member 20, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. This means comprises a presser plate 48 which releasably engages holding means or an embossed area 49 formed on the exterior face of the backing member 20. Specifically, the presser plate 48 is in the form of a disc having an embossing 50 formed on the outer face thereof, the presser plate or disc 48 being on an end of a rotatable threaded bolt 51 which is rotatably supported in the mid-point of the intermediate portion of the strap 43. The other end of the bolt 51 carries a star-shaped handle 52 for rotating the bolt. It is to be noted that the embossed area 49 is conformably shaped to cooperate with the embossing 50 on the presser plate or disc 48.

In operation, the handle 52 is turned in the direction to release the embossing 50 on the presser plate or disc 48 from contact with the embossed area 49 on the backing member 20, such rotation being continued until the presser plate 48 is adjacent the intermediate portion of the strap 43, whereupon the backing member 20 is moved away from the sole portion 16 of the shoe-supporting plate 14 until it is adjacent the rear end of the heel portion 18. The shoe 10 of a wearer is then positioned so that the fore-part of the shoe is received within the stirrup 24 and seated upon the sole portion 16 with the rear part of the shoe resting upon the heel portion 18. The backing member 20 is next slidably moved toward the sole portion 16 until it embracingly engages and bears against the back of the shoe 10. With the backing member 20 thus placed, the handle 52 is rotated in the direction to bring the embossing 50 on the presser plate or disc 48 into contact with the embossed area 49 on the backing member 20, to thereby releasably retain the shoe 10 on the shoe-supporting plate 14 of the roller skate 12.

What is claimed is:

1. In a roller skate, a shoe-supporting plate having a sole portion and a heel portion, an upstanding backing member conformably-shaped to the back of a shoe, a bracket dependingly-carried by said member and embracingly and slidably-engaging the opposed side edge portions of the heel portion of said shoe-supporting plate to thereby connect said backing member to said heel portion for sliding movement toward and away from the sole portion, a toe stirrup adapted to receive the fore-part of a shoe of a wearer rising from the sole portion intermediate its ends, an integral one-piece flexible element carried by said stirrup and having the intermediate portion adapted to extend about said backing member, and means movably-supported in the intermediate portion of said element and releasably-engageable with said backing member for securing said element to said backing member ghen said element is extended about said backing mem- 2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said flexible element embodies an elongated strap having its ends secured to opposed points on said stirrup with its intermediate portion adapted to extend about said backing member, and wherein said means releasably secures the intermediate portion of said strap to said backing member when the intermediate portion of said strap is extended about said backing member.

3. The combination according to claim 2 wherein said means embodies a presser plate adjustably carried by the intermediate portion of said strap and releasably engages holding means provided on said backing member when said intermediate portion of said strap is extended about 10 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 25,295 8/1859 Wheeler 280-11.; 54,344 5/1866 Hibler 280-11.32X 1,835,446 12/1931 Tracey ,280-l1.22 2,113,862 4/1938 Sitfert 280-11.22

FOREIGN PATENTS 838,301 12/1938 France.

42,614 3/1926 Norway.

BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner.

MILTON L. SMITH, Examiner. 

1. IN A ROLLER SKATE, A SHOE-SUPPORTING PLATE HAVING A SOLE PORTION AND A HEEL PORTION, AN UPSTANDING BACKING MEMBER CONFORMABLY-SHAPED TO THE BACK OF A SHOE, A BRACKET DEPENDINGLY-CARRIED BY SAID MEMBER AND EMBRACINGLY AND SLIDABLY-ENGAGING THE OPPOSED SIDE EDGE PORTIONS OF THE HEEL PORTION OF SAID SHOE-SUPPORTING PLATE TO THEREBY CONNECT SAID BACKING MEMBER TO SAID HEEL PORTION FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE SOLE PORTION, A TOE STIRRUP ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE FORE-PART OF A SHOE OF A WEARER RISING FROM THE SOLE PORTION INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS, AN INTEGRAL ONE-PIECE FLEXIBLE ELEMENT CARRIED BY SAID STIRRUP AND HAVING THE INTERMEDIATE PORTION ADAPTED TO EXTEND ABOUT SAID BACKING MEMBER, AND MEANS MOVABLY-SUPPORTED IN THE INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID ELEMENT AND RELEASABLY-ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID BACKING MEMBER FOR SECURING SAID ELEMENT TO SAID BACKING MEMBER WHEN SAID ELEMENT IS EXTENDED ABOUT SAID BACKING MEMBER. 